Salem man faces new charges for Internet vehicle sale

State police have brought new charges against Salem resident Rance Carli, who is accused of fraudulently collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars from customers who thought they were purchasing vehicles through an online auction site but never received the vehicles.

In the latest case, Carli, 53, of 40 Mill Lane is accused of selling a 2008 Yamaha personal watercraft on eBay to an Australian woman who complained that she paid $12,404 but never received the vehicle.

Carli, whose cases are pending in New London Superior Court, was served with the new arrest warrant on Monday charging him with second-degree larceny. The investigation by state police Troop K detectives is continuing, and more charges may be filed, according to court officials.

According to the affidavit prepared by Detective Christopher D. Burns, the Internet Crime Complaint Center has received 16 complaints about Carli since 2007 with a total money loss of $392,000. Carli has been working to reimburse some of the victims but had not repaid the watercraft purchasers as of last month. The state police filed the charges before the five-year statute of limitations expired, according to the affidavit.

When Burns checked the Vehicle Information Number that Carli provided to the buyer, he learned from Yamaha officials that the watercraft "was never manufactured by Yamaha and therefore does not exist," according to the affidavit. Carli advertised the watercraft under the business name Loco-Motion-Sport Cycle.

Carli is free on a total of $750,000 in bonds, according to court records. He is due back in court on Aug. 8.